Video: Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

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Homemade pizza dough is easy to make at home: here’s our step by step video tutorial that will have you baking homemade pizza in no time!

We love writing instructions on how to do things (it’s actually our professional career!). But let’s face it – learning by reading isn’t always the best method. Especially when it involves things that are hard to explain, like the texture of dough, or how to cut an onion. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, how about a thousand (or so) pictures?

We are so excited to unveil our first A Couple Cooks original instructional video!  And what better place to start than pizza? Alex has been pondering how to share with you some of the secrets of his pizza crust for a while. (Since he’s the pizza crust master in our house, they’re secrets that I didn’t even know until I watched the video!) He shot, directed, and produced this video to show you some of the magic he does to get the perfect pizza crust (the result of many years of trial and error!). Check it out, and get inspired to start your own home pizzeria!

Related: Homemade Pizza for Beginners | Thin Crust Pizza Dough

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Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (7 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 6 minutes
  • Yield: 2 medium pizzas 1x
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Description

Homemade pizza dough is easy to make at home: here’s our step by step video tutorial that will have you baking homemade pizza in no time!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 450 grams (3 cups) flour
  • 2 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
  • 1/2 tablespoon (1 glug) olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon (2 pinches) kosher salt
  • 1 1/3 cups warm water
  • Cornmeal

Instructions

  1. Start out by watching our video to get a feel for the process.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients (except cornmeal). Leave out a small amount of the water.
  3. Using the dough hook from the mixer, stir until a loose dough forms. If a dough doesn’t form, add the rest of the water. If the dough is extremely wet and sticky, and a pinch of flour.
  4. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and start on a low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium until a ball forms. This should take about 30 seconds. If the dough does not release from the sides of the bowl, add a pinch of flour. If the dough is very dry and floury, add a small amount of water.
  5. Once the dough forms into a ball, allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes at medium-high.
  6. After the kneading is finished, divide the dough in half. Using floured hands, gently shape each dough into a boule. Set each boule on a floured surface and dab with a little bit of olive oil to keep moist. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  7. To stretch the dough, pick up the risen dough and gently shape it into a circle. Do not over-work or fold the dough. Drape the dough over both of your knuckles and rotate it around, allowing gravity to stretch it into a circle. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily.
  8. Sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal onto a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Place the stretched dough onto the peel and quickly add toppings. Cook at 500° for 5-7 minutes until browned. Enjoy!

Notes

Start this recipe about an hour before you want to make your pizza. Start pre-heating your oven 15 minutes into the rise time.

  • Category: Pizza Dough
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Easy homemade pizza dough, pizza, stand mixer, mixer, kitchenaid, kitchenaid pizza dough,

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About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.

Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.

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47 Comments

  • Reply
    CulinarilyCourtney
    January 19, 2012 at 12:42 am

    Darn…I was really looking forward to watching you toss and spin that dough in the air. Just kidding! Great video :) I have been wanting to try making a pizza for a while, and I don’t feel so intimidated now.

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 19, 2012 at 10:08 am

      Haha! I’ve tried the toss method — I wouldn’t say it’s the most reliable :)

    • Reply
      Kathy Gillman
      December 28, 2018 at 7:03 pm

      Tried the pizza dough recipe with my new kitchenaid mixer. Turned out great. Will probably never order pizza again. Thanks for a new favorite. Going to try your sour dough recipe next.

      • Reply
        Sonja
        January 6, 2019 at 8:22 pm

        OH we are so glad to hear this! Thank you so much for making it. And let us know what you think of the sourdough!

  • Reply
    Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living
    January 19, 2012 at 6:51 am

    LOVED the video! Great job, Alex. I usually roll out my pizza dough with a rolling pin (blasphemy, I know)… but next time I’ll give hand-shaping a try.

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 19, 2012 at 10:09 am

      Thanks! You’ll have to try hand-shaping – we find that the texture of the pizza is much better.

  • Reply
    Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
    January 19, 2012 at 8:55 am

    Love love love it! :) You guys are so talented! And I learned a lot about pizza dough in 3 minutes. Awesome work!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 19, 2012 at 10:12 am

      Thanks! I think I like being behind the camera more than in front of it… I might hire an actor to play me in our next video with CraftedSpoon.

  • Reply
    jackie @ marin mama cooks
    January 19, 2012 at 9:20 am

    AMAZNG video and I just love the catchy music. You make it all look so easy. I just need to get a dough hook and then I will attempt to make my own dough.

    Keep the videos coming!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 19, 2012 at 10:18 am

      Thanks! Will do :)

  • Reply
    Lisa in Indy
    January 19, 2012 at 10:54 am

    Alex ~ terrific, helpful video. I was hoping that it would introduce your happy face and the voice that goes with it, but how can you improve on perfection?
    Great little project for a snowy day like today. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Gail Lloyd
    January 19, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Love the video! makes me want to make it, which I will! Looking forward to more, and love the music! Please post the name of the song, and artist, if you wouldn’t mind. I love your blog!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 19, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      Thanks! The song is Adagiata Passeggiata by Genevieve.

  • Reply
    Maria
    January 19, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    Love the video!! Congrats on the new addition to the blog. Can’t wait to see more. I’ve needed something like this since making pizza dough has just been a sticky mess every time I’ve tried it. Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    Nanette
    January 20, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    Awesome!

  • Reply
    Janice
    January 20, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    I was wondering how warm is the water?

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 20, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      If you want to get technical, they say that 105°F-110°F is ideal. But, I just stick my finger in the water – it should feel warm but not hot.

  • Reply
    Tessa
    January 21, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    WOW! I loved your video. Keep them coming!

  • Reply
    mary
    January 21, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    Thanks so much for doing this video. I always buy my pizza dough and make my own pizza. You inspired me to try this recipe, it looked like a cinch.

    My pesto/tomato/mozzarella pizza is in the oven as I type. The dough was very easy to stretch onto my pan.

    I’m so excited. :)

  • Reply
    Sylvie (A Pot of Tea)
    January 22, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Great instruction video!

  • Reply
    Denise
    March 11, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    I am impressed with your video but I failed miserably at “knuckling”. I resorted to a rolling pin for the last minute to even out my “pie”. Do you think my dough may have been too warm?

    • Reply
      Alex
      March 11, 2012 at 9:01 pm

      Bummer! It’s can be a little hard to do the first time — you might just need practice. Did it stretch too much or too little?

  • Reply
    Rachael
    April 4, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    I usually buy pre-made dough but I’ve watched this video about a dozen times since January and have finally worked up the courage to try it. It’s gorgeous. Thanks so much! :)

  • Reply
    jessica
    April 4, 2012 at 4:35 pm

    this looks really easy now im hungry for pizza but im in the mood for chinese even if im learning how to cook i want pizza to be the fisrt thing i want to make
    <3

  • Reply
    Lauren
    April 5, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Love the video, love the dough too! I use half whole wheat bread flour and half White Lilly Flour. It probably would have turned out chewier with a regular AP flour (White Lilly is lower in protein) but even with so it turned out well and I loved using my stand mixer. The 45 minute rise was perfect, let me get some chores done while fantasizing about pizza ^_^ The recipe did not specify time or temp for cooking so I did about 425 for 15. Turned out wonderfully. Thank you so much for an awesome pizza dough I am confident of!

    • Reply
      Alex
      April 5, 2012 at 1:40 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it! We usually do 5-7 minutes at 500 degrees, check out the “Topping Ideas” list above for some of our favorite combos.

      :)

  • Reply
    Suzie knows Indy
    April 20, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    Wow! I’ve not conquered recipes w/yeast, even been intimidated. Great video, I’m going to try it. Loooved the music!

  • Reply
    Suzie knows Indy
    April 20, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    Oh, I’m not using white flour, can I try this with WW or would there be some changes?

    • Reply
      Alex
      April 20, 2012 at 9:28 pm

      Hi! This recipe will work with up to half whole wheat flour. If you want to do all whole wheat, I’d check some other recipes for quantities (and you might need to add some vital wheat gluten). The method should still work though!

  • Reply
    Alex
    September 23, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    what a gorgeous video – looking forward to having a go with my new mixer. Thank you

  • Reply
    Kelly
    December 25, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    Loved your video! My bread maker passed on and I have been researching a way to make pizza dough without it, can’t wait to give this a try. My son will be slightly disappointed that I’ll be using the dough hook attachment, he uses it to pretend to be Captain Hook, but I think some delicious pizza should make up for it! Thanks so much.

  • Reply
    Leah
    January 4, 2013 at 2:51 am

    I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe and video! I usually make pizza dough in my bread maker but I’ve wanted to try it in my Kitchenaid instead. This dough was soooo yummy! I found the video very helpful. I need more practice at my hand stretching. I found it got really thin in the middle. But so much better then my old way. My twins gave it two thumbs up!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 4, 2013 at 9:21 am

      So glad it worked out for you! Stretching definitely takes some practice — but practicing means making more pizza :)

  • Reply
    Laura
    October 31, 2013 at 10:52 am

    Awesome video! I was wondering if you can freeze the other half of the dough? And if so, at which stage ? My guess would be after it’s proved but just wanted to make sure. Thanks! Laura :)

    • Reply
      Alex
      October 31, 2013 at 11:00 am

      Yes, the dough freezes wondefully! To freeze: After proofing, place a dough ball in a zip-top bag and put in the freezer. The morning that you are going to use the dough, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw. About 30 minutes before making the pizza, take it out of the baggie and allow it to relax on the counter, covered with plastic wrap.

  • Reply
    Christine
    January 23, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Awesome video! Unfortunately for me, it didn’t go as smoothly! I made this using my stand mixer…it took a long time for a ball to form…..and after about 15 minutes, it was still very sticky and not spongy at all…what did I do wrong? Could it have been that I don’t have a kitchen thermometer and maybe the water was too hot? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks, Christine

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 23, 2015 at 2:11 pm

      I would guess that you just needed a bit more flower. If it’s really sticky, you can add a tablespoon of flour at a time until a ball forms.

  • Reply
    Alejandra
    December 21, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Hellooo! love your video! I make pizza but I don’t shape it by hand… what is the difference? is it crunchier?
    Thanks for sharing your love to cook!

  • Reply
    Emma
    December 30, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    Love how simple and fun this is! Would I be able to refridgerate or. freeze the pizza dough if I want to do mini pizzas and have dough throughout the week? If so, do you know about how long it will stay fresh in the fridge. Ps. Just found your guys blog and am in LOVE. Love the simple, healthy recipes and have a list of what I already want to try making :) thank you.

  • Reply
    Robert
    January 29, 2017 at 7:23 am

    Thanks very much for this recipe. It comes out perfect fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside each time. Again and again.
    I’ve made this at least twice a week after I discovered this recipe 2 months ago.
    Being single, I refrigerate the second dough ball and bake it as flat bread the next day, or the day after. Layer of fresh tomato slices, layer of finely chopped onion (with a tiny sprinkle of salt just on the onion, or mixed through the chopped onion before), smoked salmon, ground black pepper, finely chopped fresh chives, and finely chopped flat parsley. Hmm, hmm, hmm!
    Sometimes I swap out the smoked salmon, and substitute Old Amsterdam cheese slices.

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    March 18, 2017 at 8:11 am

    Hi, where is the video? Nothing is showing.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      March 20, 2017 at 3:39 pm

      Hi there! It appears to be working…can you try again?

  • Reply
    Dick
    July 30, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    I can’t find the video either! Please give us a hint!

    • Reply
      Alex
      July 30, 2018 at 7:24 pm

      Not sure what happened… but it’s back now :)

  • Reply
    Cindy C
    November 12, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    Love this recipe and technique. It was so easy and worked perfectly with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer as you said. The dough was amazing! Thank you! I’ll be using this again and again!

  • Reply
    Carrie J
    September 6, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    Thanks for this video. It looked so good I decided to try it with my new Kitchen aid having never before used a dough hook. But I could not get it to form a ball!! It was very sticky and I kept adding more flour but was worried too much would be a problem. I am not sure if I got the amount of water right – please could you let me know what it would be in fluid oz? (I am British and don’t have cups) Also which yeast did you use? I could only get ‘fast action’ dried yeast at the supermarket and not sure if this needs the same quantity. Thank you!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      September 6, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      Hi! Sorry it didn’t work out. We actually have an updated version of the recipe here:

      https://www.acouplecooks.com/how-to-make-pizza-dough/

      It has metric measurements for the flour and water. We also have tested with various yeasts and fast action will work fine!

      Good luck!

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